What is the The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA)?
According to Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of 28 April 2021, establishing the Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme, the mission of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (‘the Agency’) is to contribute to the Programme, particularly as regards security accreditation as well as market and downstream applications development. Certain tasks linked to those areas should therefore be assigned to the Agency.
In relation to security in particular, and given its experience in this area, the Agency should be responsible for the security accreditation tasks for all the Union actions in the space sector. Building on its positive track-record in promoting the user and market uptake of Galileo and EGNOS, the Agency should also be entrusted with user-uptake activities relating to the Programme’s components other than Galileo and EGNOS, as well as downstream application development activities for all the Programme’s components.
This would allow the Agency to benefit from economies of scale and provide an opportunity for the development of applications based on several Programme’s components (integrated applications). However, those activities should not prejudice the service and the user-uptake activities entrusted by the Commission to Copernicus entrusted entities.
EUSPA provides safe and secure European satellite navigation services, advances the commercialization of Galileo, EGNOS, and Copernicus data and services, engages in secure SATCOM (satellite communications), and operates the EU SST (EU Space Surveillance and Tracking) Front Desk.
EUSPA's primary ambition is to link space and users. The Agency brings all space stakeholders together, allowing them to leverage the synergies of the Space Programme's individual components to deliver the greatest possible benefits to European citizens and businesses. EUSPA leads the implementation of the EU Space Programme, promotes space-based scientific and technical progress, and supports the competitiveness and innovative capacity of space sector industries within the Union, with a particular focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups.
Important responsibilities of EUSPA include:
Operational security for European Global Navigation Satellite System (EGNSS): As the entity responsible for the exploitation of Galileo and EGNOS, the Agency is tasked to ensure the operational security of both systems and, to that end, carries out risk and threat analysis, by identifying and analysing related security risks and identifying possible treatment plans to mitigate such risks. EUSPA is also tasked with other necessary security activities, in particular setting of technical specifications and operational procedures.
Operation of the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre: EUSPA delivers services related to Galileo security monitoring, implementation of cyber-security operational activities as per implementation of EC Cyber Security requirements and provision of expertise from the Galileo Security Monitoring Centre (GSMC).
Due to the strategic nature of Galileo, the EU legislative framework was established to address threats to the Galileo infrastructure and signals, as well as to provide protection against unauthorised use of its navigation signals. This enables the EU to maintain full control of the system and its operation. The GSMC also provides the operational interface between the Galileo Control Centres and the Member States’ Competent Authorities, the Council, and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
The Agency’s Security Accreditation Department (SADEP) activities includes the participation on systems, services and operations reviews. The SADEP is engaged in system reviews encompassing design, service and operation accreditation aspects, security assessments to verify that the system-specific security requirements and other applicable security requirements are met.
For technical milestones of Programme components, in the SADEP is examining the security features of the system (according to the predefined scope of each milestone) to verify compliance to security requirements, that e.g. the system is sufficiently secure to allow EU Classified Information to be processed by it, and that the service authorisation can be maintained. This includes monitoring the implementation of the cyber policy and cyber mitigation measures.
The SADEP supports the maintenance of a permanent and transparent monitoring process to ensure that the security risks for the components are known, that security measures are defined to reduce such risks to an acceptable level in view of the security needs of the Union and of its Member States and for continued service availability of the component, and that those measures are applied in accordance with the concept of defence in depth.
The SADEP undertakes or sponsors security assessments and audits to verify the security posture of the system and in particular the implementation status of the security measures, including cyber.
Regulation (EU) 2021/696 of 28 April 2021, establishing the Union Space Programme and the European Union Agency for the Space Programme.
Article 1, Subject matter
This Regulation establishes the Union Space Programme (‘the Programme’) for the duration of the MFF 2021-2027. It lays down the objectives of the Programme, the budget for the period 2021-2027, the forms of Union funding and the rules for providing such funding, as well as the rules for the implementation of the Programme.
This Regulation establishes the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (‘the Agency’) which replaces and succeeds the European GNSS Agency established by Regulation (EU) No 912/2010 and lays down the rules of operation of the Agency.
Article 70, Legal status of the Agency
1. The Agency shall be a body of the Union. It shall have legal personality.
2. In each of the Member States, the Agency shall enjoy the most extensive legal capacity accorded to legal persons under their national laws. It may, in particular, acquire or dispose of movable and immovable property and be a party to legal proceedings.
3. The Agency shall be represented by its Executive Director.
Article 71, Seat and local offices of the Agency
1. The seat of the Agency is located in Prague, Czechia.
2. Staff of the Agency may be located in one of the Galileo or EGNOS ground-based centres referred to in Implementing Decision (EU) 2016/413 or (EU) 2017/1406, to execute Programme activities provided for in the relevant agreement.
3. Depending on the needs of the Programme, local offices may be established in the Member States in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 79(2).